After the adoption of Pyongyang Time, North Korea will be 30 minutes behind South Korea and Japan and 30 minutes ahead of China.

Setting a new time zone isn’t as easy as literally turning back (or forward) the clocks, but in North Korea it might be easier than elsewhere.

Accurate time keeping has become more and more important as computers have taken a bigger role in an increasingly international world. A difference of even a second can throw interconnected computer systems off-sync, so switching time zones or changing them typically requires international collaboration.

As North Korea is relatively isolated and isn’t heavily integrated into the world trade system, the adoption of Pyongyang Time comes with fewer risks.

But it remains to be seen how it will affect North Korean activities that connect with the rest of the world, such as the timing of flights on Air Koryo or foreign radio broadcasts by Voice of Korea.